Law Offices of Ian Topf

Worst experience I have ever had working with an attorney. This is the first time I have ever left any business or person 1 star, (if I could leave zero stars I would). I only write reviews on Unilocal when someone is either above and beyond in a positive way, or if the experience was so bad that it merits writing a review in hopes that others will avoid. Ian Topf is a bit cheaper than most but like the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Ian was essentially impossible to get a hold of from the moment he cashed our retainer check. He did not respond to emails or calls in a timely manner, or at all. He gave us the impression that he genuinely did not care about us or our situation at all. From the moment we first spoke with him we felt more confused and less confident regarding our legal situation. We went to him seeking guidance, advice, direction, and counsel and received none of the above. Ian attempted charge us for phone calls and emails we needed to exchange with him simply to clarify his offices mistakes. When we questioned those erroneous fees, and explained that we were simply trying to rectify his mistakes or clarify his misunderstandings of our intentions, he became very defensive and terminated the relationship. He terminated the relationship right in the midst of filing some very important and timely legal paperwork, effectively leaving us high and dry right when his services were needed most. He did this after weeks of not returning phone calls or emails and telling us that he was «busy» or «out of town» working on other cases. We are worse off today than we were before working with him, and are out the money he took for our retainer. BEWARE– retain his services at your own risk.

Closed! See new address.

Initially, I simply chose Ian S. Topf based on location and price, Mission valley (3838 Camino del rio N.) Now that I’ve had two visits with him for two different issues, I am actually looking forward to my next appointment because he is that good.
Mr Topf is client centered, easy to talk to, gets to the root of the matter, makes time for education, has a good sense of humor, understands issues and repercussions, looks out for his clients interest. Plus, he has a wide background across varied issues, service (including a stint on Ethics), and US states. I am not bored, I am helped by his true-​life examples he uses to explain my issues; and then he goes a few steps further to explain the unanticipated. Although law for me is something that makes my head hurt after 10 minutes discussion, I do feel much more prepared and protected when I leave, than before I arrived.
Fees and services chatter is always transparent, and that puts my mind at ease. I am also a privacy nut, and his office is tight as a drum, and high tech in its precautions to insure my privacy and safety.
Today, Im only rating him ⁴⁄₅ stars not bc of any deficiency, but bc I cant yet speak to how outstanding of a bulldog he is when/​if we need to get in the trenches and what the critical communications with his office will be like when my issues are super critical. We haven’t done any filings or court appearances yet. However, for what Ive needed (real estate law, estate planning), I have an A+ recommendation.